Chapter 16
After four weeks the letters had kept coming, the phone calls became more regular and Leah was on the edge. All that kept her sane was Jeff. He had taken more time of work by faking an injury, something he had never done but he couldn’t think of any other way to be with Leah. Matt and Molly thought he was in North Carolina. Molly hadn’t been able to go back to Park City to see Leah because she had a busy schedule with her new storyline. She had spoken on the phone every other day. And it was all Leah could do not to brake down and tell her everything. Jeff wanted her to tell Molly but she kept insisting that she couldn’t, he had begun to accept it when the letters stopped and so had the phone calls. But that Saturday Molly was due back and Matt was coming with her, Matt had spoken to Jeff and told him he should go up to Leah’s and meet them there. Jeff had to let a smile cross his lips as Matt spoke.
Leah was outside in the garden playing with Ligar when Jeff came out. “Matt and Molly are coming tonight, you know that don’t you?”
“Yeh I do.” Leah replied as she tossed the ball down the end of the garden.
“Are you going to be ok?” he questioned her carefully. She turned to face him. The look in her eyes said it all. He walked over to her and pulled her body tight against his. “I’ll be right by your side all the time.”
“I know you will. I just haven’t been out of the house for five weeks, five long weeks and I haven’t seen anybody but you. And I don’t know how I can lie to Molly all night, saying everything fine when it’s not.”
“You can always tell her.”
“Jeff can we not have this discussion again?”
“I’m sorry. I just…” Jeff trailed of as he looked down the garden at the bottom fence. He took Leah’s hand and led her down the garden. She tightened her grip when she saw the graffiti on it. The blood red paint read “D-Day! Time to pay!”
Jeff looked down at Leah as she freed her hand and ran towards the house she ran in and up the stairs. Jeff ran after her, closely followed by Ligar.
“Leah” Jeff said as he ran into their bedroom. He looked around to see the walk in closet door open. He walked in and saw Leah curled up on the floor. She was crying hysterically. He dropped to his knees and put his arms tightly around her. She uncurled and fell into Jeff’s embrace. She cried and clung to him as he whispered soft words in her ear.
6:45pm
Leah looked straight at Jeff as they heard the shattering of glass. They both froze and all the colour fell from their faces. They knew it was time, time to face the enemy. “You stay here.” Jeff ordered Leah as he left the bedroom.
“NO JEFF!!!” she shouted after him as she got to her feet. She walked out the door and stopped at the top of the stairs, where she saw Jeff stood at the bottom, he was looking straight ahead. He slowly moved from the bottom step. Leah began to walk as quietly down the stairs as she could. She stopped half way up so she couldn’t be seen.
She heard Jeff’s shaky voice come from the living room. “Put the gun down.” He said as he looked at the man in a balaclava stood by the broken window with a gun in his hand.
“I don’t think you in the position to be giving the orders do you?” a cold voice snapped back to Jeff. “Now, if you co-operate I won’t need to hurt you will I? Now tell me, where’s my little sweetheart?”
“She’s…. she’s not here.” Jeff stuttered as the gunman walked towards him.
“I think you’re lying to me. Now where is she? And if you lie again I may have to use this.” He said pointing the gun in Jeff’s face.
That was all Leah needed to hear. She ran down the last stairs and into the living room. She froze as she aw him, the man who had caused her so much hell, so much pain and suffering.
“Leave him out of this!! This is between you and me!!” she shouted as the gunman dropped the gun from Jeff’s face and pointed it at both of them.
“Well well well if it isn’t the little bitch that sent me to prison. Bet you didn’t think you would see me again.”
Leah didn’t move. She just looked at him, fear and hatred flowing from her eyes.
“Get out of here Leah.” Jeff said to her.
“No. He will hurt you Jeff. This is between me and him.”
“Listen to her Jeff. She knows what she’s talking about.” The masked man said prodding the gun into Jeff’s stomach.
“No.” Jeff replied as he went to take Leah’s hand. But before he could the gunman hand grabbed Leah and had her at his side, a death grip on her wrist and the gun to head.
“This could be short and sweet. That would be nice of me wouldn’t it? Shame I’m not a nice person though.” He said as he punched her in the stomach and she doubled over and fell to the floor. Jeff went to help her but he got a broke nose and a kick to the ribs for his trouble. He doubled over holding his ribs and his nose.
Leah felt the gun against the side of her head as she cried. “Get up bitch!!!” She did. But she just got slapped across the face and kicked ion the stomach. She fell back to the ground and he began to kick her over and over to the back of her neck and her head. She screamed from the pain. Jeff went to stop him but he was kicked in the crotch, he again doubled over. He then felt the contact of the cold piece of metal over the back of his head, knocking him out cold.
back to Chapter 15
